Candy Hunt

Zeroes and heroes

Anuradha Malalasekara

Heroism is a multi faceted concept. While watching 'Air Force One' for second time, I was thinking how heroes are made. Hero for me is not necessary a hero for you. Your educational and social background essentially contributes to build a heroic figure in your mind. Sometimes your political philosophy forces you to worship someone as a hero.

But, there are some heroes that everybody thinks they are really brave and powerful and they are called 'superheroes'. Those 'genuine' heroes have changed the way the world think.

A superhero is a person who is dedicated in order to protect the public from harm. They usually have a secret identity so the public cannot guess who they are, but whilst saving people from harm, they usually wear a costume and mask and have a signature trademark (such as a bat for Batman).

A superhero's costume automatically makes them more recognisable to the reader, and often the costumes are a specific colour set to make them more iconic. They also normally wear masks, a symbol to make them more distinguishable, pants over their tights and a cape.

Interestingly enough, although capes are often associated with superheroes, very few actually wear. As both Batman and Superman wear them, they were the most popular of the superheroes and as a result, the cape quickly became associated with superheroes.

The superhero's mission is pro - social and selfless, which means that his fight against evil must fit in with the existing, professed mores of society and must not be intended to benefit or further his own agenda.

The mission convention is essential to the superhero genre because someone who does not act selflessly to aid others in times of need is not heroic and therefore not a hero. But it is not unique to the genre. Superman's mission is to be a champion of the oppressed...sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need, i.e. to "benefit mankind"

Regarding the powers convention, Batman was originally designed as a superhero without superpowers. His mission of vengeance against criminals is clear, and his identity-represented by his codename and iconic costume marks him as a superhero. While he has no distinctly "super" powers, his physical strength and mental abilities allow him to fight crime alongside his more powerful brethren.

The Hulk can be said to be a superhero without a mission. At times he seems absolutely anti-social, and he frequently finds himself in conflict with the U.S. Army, which in the Silver Age was not presented as corrupt or malign but with the welfare of citizens as its motivating force. Stan Lee claims the Frankenstein monster as an inspiration for the Hulk, "He never wanted to hurt anyone; he merely groped his tortuous way though a second life trying to defend himself, trying to come to terms with those who sought to destroy him"

In myth the hero is "superior in kind both to other men and to the environment" and is a divine being. In romance, the hero is superior in degree to other men and to his environment but is identified as a human being, and moves in a world in which the ordinary laws of nature are slightly suspended.

Thought of in this way, heroes who are super-all those characters who are referred to as super heroes but do not fit the generic definition of the superhero presented herein-are romance heroes.

Referring to these characters as romance heroes, though, given the contemporary use of romance-stories of couples whose love relationship develops to overcome all obstacles-would be confusing; instead it makes sense to refer to them as super heroes.

Anyway we all love to be a hero at any circumstance.